Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Food and Drug Administration (FDA), agency of the U.S. federal government authorized by Congress to inspect, test, approve, and set safety standards for foods and food additives, drugs, chemicals, cosmetics, and household and medical devices. First known as the Food, Drug, and Insecticide Administration when it was formed as a separate law enforcement agency in 1927, the FDA derives the greater part of its regulatory power from four laws: the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which established safety and purity standards and provided for factory inspection and for legal remedy; the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, which required honest, informative, and standardized labeling ... (100 of 283 words)